APPENDIX F (b) : THE RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE SEMINAR HELD AT SRINAGAR IN REGARD TO THE STEPS TO BE TAKEN TO IMPROVE EFFICIENCY IN EDUCATIONAL ADMINISTRATION.
In June 1956, the All-India Council for Secondary Education organised at Srinagar a Seminar on Educational Administration to consider some of the main administrative problems arising out of the reorganisation of Secondary Education in the different States. The Seminar was attended by Education Secretaries from eight States, Directors of Public Instruction from 14 States and 13 Deputy Directors of Public Instruction or Special Officers in charge of Planning (Education). Mr. D S. Reddi, Director of Public Instruction, Andhra was the Director of the Seminar, Mr. K.G. Saiyidain, Educational Adviser to the Ministry of Education, Government of India, presided over the opening session and participated in the discussions through- out the duration of the camp.
One of the four working groups into which the Seminar was divided examined the problems of Improving Efficiency in Secondary Education. The main recommendations of the group on this subject, as approved by the Seminar, are given below :
1. Financial Control and Educational Planning There is common complaint that the procedures for financial control tend to create bottlenecks and delays. It is necessary to emphasise that in the interest of the expeditious examination and implementation of a Scheme, the scheme should be thoroughly scrutinised beforehand by the Educational Department and its financial implications carefully worked out. It must be further emphasised that the supervision of the financial aspects of the scheme should not be relaxed. This consideration have been kept in mind in making the following recommendations:
(a) An officer of the Finance Department of the status of a Deputy Secretary should be attached to the State Education Depart- ments. His duty will be to scrutinise and pass the Departmental proposals within the limits of the powers that may be delegated to him.
(b) The Plan Schemes which are once included in the budget and for which sanction of the legislature has been obtained should hold good for the whole Plan period, unless any departure from modification of the Scheme becomes necessary Provision for expenditure in the subsequent years of the Plan should be made directly into the budget without going through the schedule of New Demands.
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(c) Cases should generally be cleared by personal discussion which is fruitful and effective, in particular with the Finance and the Planning Departments. For this purpose an Inter-departmental Committee consisting of the Administrative Department, the Finance Department and the Planning Department should be set up which can consider and scrutinise the departmental budget proposals and ensure their being finalised expeditiously.
(d) Since during the course of the working of the scheme under the Plan, the need for modifying particular schemes may possibly arise, suitable procedures should be designed by the State Governments immediately, so that the savings under one scheme may be utilised in schemes where the provision is inadequate, or to finance new schemes.
(e) It is necessary that the Educational Directorates should also initiate a careful examination of their office procedures and techniques in order to bring about quicker movement of files and ensure decisions being taken more expeditiously at all levels by personal discussions and staff meetings.
(f) If at any time a new scheme outside those included in the Plan is sponsored by the Ministry of Education complete information about it should be given to the State Governments by October of the year preceding the year in which it is to be implemented, so that the State Governments may be able to provide for matching funds in the budget.
(g) Except in the case of All-India Organisations, Central grants should normally be given only to those institutions and organisations whose applications have been routed through the State Governments.
(h) Administrative powers should be decentralised to the maximum extent reasonably possible and such devolution of powers should be all along the line. That is to say, the powers should not only be devolved from Government to the Head of the Department, but also from the Head of the Department to the Regional, District and Sub- Divisional levels.
2. Administrative Relationship between the State Governments and
the Local Bodies/Private Management. (a) Education Departments should make every effort to improve the efficiency of schools and colleges under private managements and Local Bodies, to bring the teachers' scales of pay etc. to the level of Government scales, as far as possible, and to ensure security of tenure and other conditions necessary for their contentment. Where such measures fail, to improve teachers' conditions of work and service, the Departments, should be prepared to tighten their control over managements, to reconstitute managing committees or even to take over the direct management of the institutions in extreme cases.
(b) Selection of teachers in the schools of the local bodies and private aided institutions should be made by the District or Regional Boards to be appointed for the purpose and which may include representatives of local bodies and managements as members.
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3. Public Relations and Publicity of Educational Plans To ensure full public cooperation in the implementation of educational schools it is necessary that Education Departments should organise their publicity work We imaginatively and establish closer and wider and more cordial public relations. This can and should be done at all levels and through various devices like the establishment of parent-teacher associations, publication of folders and brochures, popularly written articles in the papers, radio-talks and press con- ferences etc.
4. Training of Educational Administrators, personnel Management and
strengthening of Administrative Staff. (a) Arrangements should be made to provide effective training for educational administrators by developing short as well as full- length courses for the purpose, organising in-service seminars, con- ferences and workshops for educational officers and by instituting a suitable system of apprenticeship under senior officers of the Department.
(b) It is also imperative to increase the strength of the administrative staff, wherever necessary. In doing so, care should be taken to see that due regard is paid to the "control span" of officers so that, as far as possible, no officer is given more schools or subordinate officers to supervise than he can manage with confidence and efficiency.
(c) Every State should have a Director of Training who would be in charge of the entire training programme at all levels, including professional training and the training of educational administrators. A Research Unit should be developed as a integral part of each Post- Graduate Training College in the States to carry on educational research, including research on matters relating to educational administration.
5. Democratization of Administration (a) Education Departments should make an earnest attempt to democratize administration by drawing teachers and other workers into comradeship and by associating them with the formulation of educational schemes and policies. Instead of adopting a rigid stand- offish attitude in personal and official dealings with their junior colleagues, educational officials should establish pleasant and democratic relations. with them. They should also adopt a policy of according conspicuous recognition to good work done by teachers and educational officers in the Department.
(b) Education Departments should carefully examine the position with regard to the freedom given to teachers, Headmasters and Inspecting officers under the existing rules to carry on their normal work as well as to initiate new educational experiments and projects which may require some relaxation from normal rules and regulations. In this connection they should specially consider what additional freedom can be given to schools which have the necessary staff and other facilities to justify increased confidence being placed in them in the matter of syllabuses, methods of teaching and examination and general organization of work.
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6. Promotion of Inter-State and Intra-State Study Visits of
Educational Officers and Development of Information Units or Clearing
Houses in the State (a) In order to develop an all India outlook in educational administrators and to enable them to keep abreast of significant educational developments in different parts of the country, it is necessary to organize intra-state visits of Educational Administrators. Similarly intra-state visits of Headmasters and teachers should be encouraged.
(b) With the same objective in view, every state Education Department should establish a well-organised Information and Statis- tical Unit which may serve as a clearing house both for the,State and for inter-State purposes and also help in maintaining an effective liasion with the Centre
(c) At the end of every quarter the State Education Secretaries may communicate to the Secretary to the Government of India in the Education Ministry important developments in the educational field, including any decisions of major importance which might have been taken during the period by the State Governments.
(d) There should be a regular exchange of publications and reports between the State Governments.
7.Techniques for Evaluation and Appraisal As the genuine success of all educational schemes is intimately bound up with proper evaluation and appraisal of the working of projects, education departments should set up a suitable machinery for the purpose which will be responsible for continual appraisal of the work being done under different schemes. The Union Ministry may appoint a committee of experts to prepare a memorandum of guidance for the State Governments on the proper techniques of evaluation.
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